The influence of stratospheric intrusions on alpine ozone concentrations

Stohl, Andreas; Spichtinger-Rakowsky, Nicole; Bonasoni, Paolo; Feldmann, Hendrik; Memmesheimer, M.; Scheel, H. E.; Trickl, Thomas; Hübener, S.; Ringer, W.; Mandl, Michael

doi:10.1016/s1352-2310(99)00320-9

Cited by 231 publications

(259 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Using beryllium-7 ( 7 Be, a tracer for stratospheric air, see below), O 3 and humidity data from the Zugspitze peak in Germany (at about 700 hPa), Elbern et al [1997] found a summer minimum of the frequency of identifiable stratospheric intrusions. Stohl et al [2000], using the same data and also data from other mountain peaks in central Europe, but a different detection algorithm, confirmed the summer minimum, but it was much deeper than in the study by Elbern et al [1997]. Both studies agree that only a few percent of the O 3 at about 700 hPa could be clearly attributed to direct stratospheric intrusions.…”

Section: Observationssupporting

confidence: 67%

Stratosphere‐troposphere exchange: A review, and what we have learned from STACCATO

et al. 2003

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[1] This paper provides a review of stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE), with a focus on processes in the extratropics. It also addresses the relevance of STE for tropospheric chemistry, particularly its influence on the oxidative capacity of the troposphere. After summarizing the current state of knowledge, the objectives of the project Influence of Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange in a Changing Climate on Atmospheric Transport and Oxidation Capacity (STACCATO), recently funded by the European Union, are outlined. Several papers in this Journal of Geophysical ResearchAtmospheres special section present the results of this project, of which this paper gives an overview. STACCATO developed a new concept of STE in the extratropics, explored the capacities of different types of methods and models to diagnose STE, and identified their various strengths and shortcomings. Extensive measurements were made in central Europe, including the first monitoring over an extended period of time of beryllium-10 ( 10 Be), to provide a suitable database for case studies of stratospheric intrusions and for model validation. Photochemical models were used to examine the impact of STE on tropospheric ozone and the oxidizing capacity of the troposphere. Studies of the present interannual variability of STE and projections into the future were made using reanalysis data and climate models.

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Section: Observationssupporting

confidence: 67%

Stratosphere‐troposphere exchange: A review, and what we have learned from STACCATO

et al. 2003

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“…[5] The conclusions of Fiore et al [2003] are at odds with many other studies, which have presented evidence for significant stratospheric contributions to surface ozone at both high altitude sites [Schuepbach et al, 1999;Stohl et al, 2000] and near sea level [Cooper et al, 2005;Hocking et al, 2007]. In this paper, we show additional examples of deep STT contributing to high surface O 3 using lidar and surface measurements from the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains during the 1999 ozone season (MarchOctober).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Stratospheric contribution to high surface ozone in Colorado during springtime

Langford

Aikin

Eubank

et al. 2009

Geophysical Research Letters

121

120

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The contribution of stratosphere‐to‐troposphere transport to high surface ozone (O3) along the Colorado Front Range during spring of 1999 is examined using lidar and surface measurements. A deep tropopause fold brought ∼215 ppbv of O3 to within 1 km of the highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains on 6 May 1999. One‐minute average O3 mixing ratios exceeding 100 ppbv were subsequently measured at a surface site in Boulder, and daily maximum 8‐hour O3 concentrations greater or equal to the 2008 NAAQS O3 standard of 0.075 ppmv were recorded at 3 of 9 Front Range monitoring stations. Other springtime peaks in surface O3 are also shown to coincide with passage of upper level troughs and dry stable layers aloft. These results show that the stratospheric contribution to surface ozone is significant, and can lead to exceedance of the 2008 NAAQS O3 standards in a major U.S. metropolitan area.

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“…FLEXPART was validated with data from three large-scale tracer experiments in North America and Europe [Stohl et al, 1998], and it was used previously in case studies of ICT [Stohl and Trickl, 1999;Forster et al, 2001;Spichtinger et al, 2001] and to simulate intrusions of stratospheric air into the lower troposphere [Stohl et al, 2000]. It was also employed to develop a 1-year ''climatology'' of ICT [Stohl et al, 2002a].…”

Section: Model Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[12] A seventh tracer run was made using a special version of FLEXPART as described by Stohl et al [2000]. O 3 was initialized in the stratosphere according to a statistical relationship with potential vorticity at the start of the model run and at the inflowing boundary of the simulation domain that, in this case, was limited to 80°W-40°E and 25°N-88°N.…”

Section: Forward Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A backward modeling study of intercontinental pollution transport using aircraft measurements

Stohl¹,

Forster²,

Eckhardt³

et al. 2003

J. Geophys. Res.

329

350

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[1] In this paper we present simulations with a Lagrangian particle dispersion model to study the intercontinental transport of pollution from North America during an aircraft measurement campaign over Europe. The model was used for both the flight planning and a detailed source analysis after the campaign, which is described here with examples from two episodes. Forward calculations of emission tracers from North America, Europe, and Asia were made in order to understand the transport processes. Both episodes were preceded by stagnant conditions over North America, leading to the accumulation of pollutants in the North American boundary layer. Both anthropogenic sources and, to a lesser extent, forest fire emissions contributed to this pollution, which was then exported by warm conveyor belts to the middle and upper troposphere, where it was transported rapidly to Europe. Concentrations of many trace gases (CO, NO y , CO 2 , acetone, and several volatile organic compounds; O 3 in one case) and of ambient atmospheric ions measured aboard the research aircraft were clearly enhanced in the pollution plumes compared to the conditions outside the plumes. Backward simulations with the particle model were introduced as an indispensable tool for a more detailed analysis of the plume's source region. They make trajectory analyses (which, to date, were mainly used to interpret aircraft measurement data) obsolete. Using an emission inventory, we could decompose the tracer mixing ratios at the receptors (i.e., along the flight tracks) into contributions from every grid cell of the inventory. For both plumes we found that emission sources contributing to the tracer concentrations over Europe were distributed over large areas in North America. In one case, sources in California, Texas, and Florida contributed almost equally, and smaller contributions were also made by other sources located between the Yucatan Peninsula and Canada. In the other case, sources in eastern North America, including moderate contributions from forest fires, were most important. The plume's maximum was mainly caused by anthropogenic emissions from the New York area. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported where a pollution plume from a megacity was reliably detected over another continent.

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The influence of stratospheric intrusions on alpine ozone concentrations

Cited by 231 publications

References 76 publications

Stratosphere‐troposphere exchange: A review, and what we have learned from STACCATO

Stratosphere‐troposphere exchange: A review, and what we have learned from STACCATO

Stratospheric contribution to high surface ozone in Colorado during springtime

A backward modeling study of intercontinental pollution transport using aircraft measurements

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